First stop Mostar

I usually travel abroad with the sole intent of seeing family because only my parents, sister, and I live in America, while everyone else is spread out all over Europe. However, this trip, while still centered on family, was more for being a tourist (I confess I did wrap my jacket around my waist while walking around). With that in mind we decided to be tourists in our home country and visit one of the biggest tourist attractions, the city of Mostar.

Okay freeze! I know at this point you’re asking yourself “What’s so special about this place?” or “Seriously, again with this place?”. Yes, seriously. I still don’t believe that people comprehend how beautiful this city is, and while the bridge is not as huge as the Eiffel Tower or the Roman Colosseum it will take your breath away. I bet you it will. Your breath will be knocked right out of you.

The biggest attraction to see is of course the Old Bridge or Stari Most, and it really is as grand as it looks in the photographs you see online. I had been daydreaming about this bridge for months before we went on our trip (yes I know dreaming about a bridge sounds lame and well, I have no rebuttal against that because it really is lame). I really suggest spending a full day in the city because the bridge is just as striking at night as it is during the day, so you really shouldn’t miss the chance to see it at different times of the day. There is a plaque on the bridge that explains the history about it. I was really shocked at how much of the bridge actually had to be rebuilt after the war that occurred in the early 90s.We also made a stop at the Museum of Herzegovina Mostar about the Old Bridge, which is right next to the bridge so you really can’t miss it. The entrance fee was 5 KM (roughly $3 US) and we actually asked the woman working there if we could pay a little less and she bumped off a few KM from our entrance fee. Seriously, if you have the courage to haggle over price go for it! The museum has two parts: part one takes you up in a tower where you will have to climb ladders to get up so beware if you have any health problems, and part two takes you to an archaeology museum beneath the tower. Museums are extremely interesting, and while this one was smaller than most it was still pleasantly informative, had really great views of the bridge, and was just really cool overall. I strongly recommend it!

The rest of the trip was spent just walking around the old city, looking at the different items people were selling, tasting some delicious ice cream, and enjoying the beauty of the bridge because you’re always catching little glimpses of it. While the Old Bridge is really amazing, the rest of the Old City is just as beautiful so take your time while walking around to really appreciate the buildings and the streets. I’m getting chills just remember my trip! Seriously consider taking a trip to Mostar you won’t regret it!

Some tips while visiting:

Schedule your trip during the month of July, is when I went and at certain times there were very little people visiting so you can take some really great photos and enjoy walking around without a crowd; the best times were in the evening and in the morning between 8-10.

Plan on saving money on food because prices are pretty low for food, with a cup of coffee around 2 KM (Convertible Mark) which is roughly $1.10 US, and Pita (a traditional Bosnian dish consisting of dough with either cheese, meat, or spinach inside) around 3 KM which is roughly $1.63 US.

Don’t spend a heap of money on souvenirs because they are pricey, so I’d really suggest simply buying something small to remember the trip by. I actually noticed that some of the items they were selling were purchased from Chinese wholesale sites, because I’ve actually seen some of them online before and have purchased some of the jewelry they were selling for half the price online, so it isn’t worth it.

Try not to purchase items that are remnants from the war that occurred in the 90s and of which Mostar was a part of, because you will find vendors that are selling items from the war such as: helmets, old bullet cases, and soldier uniforms.